Lepchenko loses in U.S. Open

Lehigh Valley resident is upset by Alexandra Dulgheru.

Lehigh Valley resident Varvara Lepchenko suffered a shocking first-round defeat today at the U.S. Open tennis championships in Flushing, N.Y.

Lepchenko, the world's 35th-ranked women's player, fell in three grueling sets to Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru. She won the first set 7-6 (5), then dropped the last two sets 2-6, 6-7 (5) in a match that lasted nearly three hours.

Dulgheru, ranked 214th, advances to play 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the second round. Ivanovic defeated Anna Tatishvili 6-2, 6-0 in the first round.

Last year, Lepchenko, as the No. 31 seed, reached the third round before falling to seventh-seeded Samantha Stosur. Lepchenko was unseeded this year.

Lepchenko will compete at the US Open in the doubles draw with partner Saisai Zheng of China.